Inside Electric Daisy Carnival 2019

This past weekend marked the 23rd annualElectric Daisy Carnival, also commonly referred to as EDC, where hundreds of thousands of attendees came together for three days of dancing and music at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The Insomniac-hosted event boasted 15 stages this year, with eight being by Insomniac and the other seven as art cars or other company-sponsored stages. Attendees saw brand new stage designs to five of Insomniac’s stages, and all eight featured audio, visual and lighting enhancements. The stages at the event were unique from one another in terms of size and capacity—attendees had the option to go to the large main stage, kineticFIELD, and experience an artistically decorated stage; dance at circuitGROUNDS, which was also a large stage but with 360-degree surrounding screens for a more graphics-focused experience; or check out intimate stages, such as any of the numerous art cars or the Corona Electric Beach stage that was complete with sand for a true beach vibe. The number of stages also allowed for some artists to perform more than once, so festival goers had the option to see artists perform multiple times and play different types of sets.

kineticFIELD. Courtesy of Marc Van Der Aa.

Marc Van Der Aa

wasteLAND at EDC Vegas. Courtesy of Insomniac.

Insomniac

What sets EDC apart from other festivals is the level of production put into the event. Each year the festival features multiple impressive firework displays, performers who dazzle the audience with gravity-defying acrobatics, lasers, carnival rides, creatively-designed stages and more. EDC also caters to a variety of music tastes by hosting headliners from numerous genres. This year’s lineup included world-renowned acts such as Chris Lake, Alison Wonderland, Black Coffee and Lady Faith. Although not originally on the lineup, Skrillex showed up on Saturday for a surprise set at circuitGROUNDS, where he dropped a mix of bass house, hip hop and his classic head banging songs. There were also surprise back-to-back sets over the course of the weekend.

Skrillex performed Saturday at EDC Vegas. Courtesy of Insomniac.

Insomniac

Attendees at EDC Vegas. Courtesy of Philip Prolo.

Philip Prolo

This was the second time the festival was hosted in May as it has historically taken place in June, and although some attendees weren’t keen on the low temperatures this year, I found it preferable over the high temperatures I experienced in years prior when it took place in June. However, the weather did result in high winds, which caused for kineticFIELD to be closed on Saturday evening. The Insomniac team prepared for potential high winds on Sunday by removing minor stage pieces along with some other festival elements. The event also featured camping for the second year, and there were numerous experiences offered only to those that camped, including goat yoga, stand up comedy, a headbanger’s therapy yoga class and a twerk class.

EDC Vegas features carnival rides. Courtesy of Insomniac.

Insomniac

Attendees can get married at EDC. Courtesy of Chris Lazzaro.

Chris Lazzaro

Festival goers were also able to experience activities and events not related to music. Attendees could get married at the event by an Elvis impersonator, shop for festival gear at boutique stores, go on carnival rides, look at art installations and more.

As a fifth time EDC attendee, I’ve enjoyed watching the festival develop and improve each year I’ve attended, and this year was no different.